Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wearable chair robot device that reduces a load on the knees and ankles, and maintains a stable position when a user maintains a seated posture.
Description of the Related Art
Recently, various types of wearable robots have been actively developed for a multitude of purposes including industrial uses. Technological advancements further enable robots to be used for helping the disabled and the elderly move by assisting muscular strength, or for rehabilitation of patients with a muscular disease. Further, wearable robots am used for users who are required to transport heavy equipment, or heavy loads. Generally, wearable robots are manufactured in shapes that are wearable by organically coupling links that operate similar to joints of a human body. In particular, wearable robots are worn by a user and enable the user to perform high-load work requiring force over the limit of common muscular power of human absent the assistance of specific machines by assisting the muscular force of the arms or legs.
Accordingly, a method of obtaining an assistant force from wearable robots for work requiring force over the limit of muscular force has been proposed. To increase torque to be able to lift a heavy load without increasing force for driving a cylinder by improving the coupling structure of the cylinder and links in wearable robot legs. However, the main purpose of wearable robots of the related art is to perform work with heavy loads and not to maintain a sitting (e.g., stationary position) posture for an extended period of time. Accordingly, the wearable robots are of limited use for users who do not require a substantial force, but work sitting (e.g., stationary positions) for extended periods of time. For example, even in circumstances when robots are available for such users, stability in a sitting posture is generally poor, and therefore the workers are inhibited from maintaining the intended posture for an extended period of time and the robot has limited ability to adapt to various sitting postures of users.
The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of the background of the invention, and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.